Texas Rangers - TeamReport

June 02, 2012|Reuters

MLB Team Report - Texas Rangers - INSIDE PITCH

The AL West race starts now.

The first third of the season was simply about staking out spots. The Rangers jumped to leads of as big as 8 1/2 games as the Angels stumbled through the first month of the season, then righted things in May. Now, the teams prepare for their second meeting of the season, the Rangers have put themselves at the forefront of the pack. The Angels, one of the hottest teams in baseball, have set themselves up in second place and in perfect stalking position.

The teams play three games in Anaheim over the weekend, then won't meet again until just after the All-Star break. The teams also meet six times in the final 16 games of the season.

"I think everybody knew they weren't going to stay in the cellar," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "They've got too many good players. That's a good team ... but so are the Texas Rangers."

The Rangers won two of three from Los Angeles in Arlington in mid-May. It was after that series that the Angels really awakened. Since the end of that series, only the White Sox have a better record than Los Angeles, who have won 11 of 17 since facing Texas. The Rangers, feeling the effects of playing 20 games in 20 days, have muddled along at 8-8.

Perhaps the biggest difference in the Rangers over the past two-plus weeks is the lack of consistent pitching. The Rangers have a 4.48 ERA in that time, which ranks sixth in the AL but is nearly two runs higher than Los Angeles' 2.65 ERA.

"No doubt we're a different team now than we were two weeks ago," Angels manager Mike Scioscia told reporters after his club's winning streak ended at eight games Wednesday night. "We're more confident, and the guys are playing at the level they can. We have to keep this moving forward."

The Angels have their chance to push onward this weekend.

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MLB Team Report - Texas Rangers - NOTES, QUOTES

--RHP Colby Lewis, who bids for his fifth win of the season Friday, has allowed more home runs (14) than walks (nine) this season. Lewis has allowed at least one homer in each of his last eight starts. While Lewis leads the AL in home runs allowed since he returned to the United States in 2010, pitching in Anaheim has not been part of the issue. In three starts there, he's compiled a 1.80 ERA and has not allowed a single home run.

--Look out for another offensive explosion by OF Josh Hamilton. Hamilton, who leads the AL with 21 homers and has three in his last five games, has homered in two of his three previous at-bats vs. the Angels' Friday starter, RHP Jerome Williams. Against Williams, the Rangers' likely starting lineup is a composite 20-for-51 (.392) with seven homers.

--RHP Roy Oswalt, who took most of his physical Thursday, can earn up to another $1 million on top of his $4.25 million base salary by making 12 starts for the Rangers this year. The addition of Oswalt brings the Rangers' team payroll to almost $125 million.

--1B Brad Hawpe, who is trying to jump start his career by playing in the minors, was placed on the disabled list at Class AA Frisco due to left elbow fatigue. Hawpe underwent Tommy John ligament replacement surgery last year.

--Under Major League Baseball's new draft guidelines, the Rangers have $6,568,200 to spend on their 13 picks in the first 10 rounds. A year ago, the Rangers signed eight of the 11 players they chose in the first 10 rounds with total signing bonuses of $3,021,500.

BY THE NUMBERS: 24 -- Unearned runs allowed by the Rangers in 27 games in May. It was the highest total allowed by any team in the majors. The Rangers were 14-14 for the month, but 3-7 in the 10 games in which they allowed at least one unearned run.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We were a very peaceful organization." -- RHP Yu Darvish, on whether his Japanese team, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters had any rivalries. Darvish said he has yet to grasp the budding rivalry between the Rangers and Angels.

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MLB Team Report - Texas Rangers - ROSTER REPORT

MEDICAL WATCH:

--RHP Neftali Feliz (sprained ulnar collateral ligament in right elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list May 21. He will be prohibited from doing any throwing until at least late June before being re-evaluated by team physician Keith Meister. It's unlikely Feliz will return before mid-July.